We have done a lot of sharing with you about how to do social media well, including putting together a strategy and writing great updates on the different networks. Yet, I know that there is still much to talk about with it for your brand, ministry, or business. One of the biggest ones that I see all the time is the issue of differentiating yourself online.
If you are like us on seventy8 Productions, you are running at least two social media accounts on different networks, if not more. For us, we have a presence on Google+, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. That is a lot of different social media sites to put energy into and still come out with quality content.
This concept of differentiating is actually two-fold. We need to stand out from the rest of the pack. If you are selling something, what makes your product different from everyone else? Note that I did not say better, because the value of something in the end is in the eye of the viewer or customer. Do you blog on youth ministry? Great, but how is your blog set apart from everyone else’s? What do you have to offer that is not being touched on by everyone else? Below, we will identify how your content could be different with all of the sites that we identify that we are on.
The second part of differentiating on social media comes between your own accounts. So you have multiple sites, but do you just say the same thing on each of them? If so, why would I want to follow you on Google+ when I can just get the same thing from Facebook or Twitter? We need to ensure that each network is offering something different that adds value to that individual network account without actually adding too much more effort. Tomorrow, we will identify these points.
Standing Out From The Pack
- YouTube Video work is becoming more and more the main media consumption for online viewers. Its easy enough to watch, simple to understand, creativity has yet to reach any kind of bounds, and the capacity to entertain while feeding information is so much greater. The problem is that few ministries and blogs have invested in it, thus the real differentiation on YouTube is simply offering a quality product. If you have any interest in doing video work for your business or hobby, the door is wide open and waiting for some heavy hitters to invest. Set up people and share what you have to offer!
- Google+ This social network is young, in development, and perfect for planting your feet. Again, only a few sections of people have invested in it. Want to be the top G+ user? Find out how this network can best work for you, develop a routine of best practices to maximize your impact, and network with others in your field of study or work. You do this and you will not only set yourself apart, but establish yourself as an expert on that network.
- Facebook The opportunity to connect with almost 900 million people is too big to pass up, but a couple of status updates and pictures will not be enough to stand out. Facebook has put together several great tools for you to be successful. The one that you have to invest in that will help your connections is the custom tabs. Link a free eBook, some videos to download, or a sneak peek at what is coming up. Coupling this with your great content, you will set yourself apart.
- Twitter Of all of the networks to differentiate yourself from the competition (or friends), this is the toughest to set yourself apart. You must simply rely on frequency of quality tweets, constant interaction with your followers about stuff they want to talk about, and give them stuff (data, freebies, whatever) more than you take away from them. This will develop a community around yourself, a community that will set yourself apart.
How do you try to stand out on social networks?
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